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Circleville canines now have place to frolic

View SlideshowRequest to buy this photoKyle Robertson | DISPATCHBob McCrady and his dog, Hank, are among those who frequent Circleville’s new dog park named for Jeanine Leist McDowell, right. McDowell, pictured with her Rottweiler Casey, gave a sizable contribution toward the $20,000 it cost to build the park.

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Beth Starkey-Hill and friends were inspired by their love of dogs — and her
late father.

Where an empty acre sat months ago, dogs liberated from their leashes now romp in fenced-in
areas, free to run and play while their owners watch from benches beneath a shelter.

The Jeanine Leist McDowell Dog Park is the realization of years of work by its namesake as well
as by Starkey-Hill and others who continue efforts to upgrade Mary Virginia Crites Hannan Park, the
jewel of the city’s parks.

The dog park opened last month after a fundraising campaign that brought in $20,000 to build it,
with McDowell, a Circleville real-estate agent, providing a sizable donation that led to the park’s
being named in her honor. A mug of Casey, her Rottweiler, appears on the plaque bearing her name at
the 74-acre park at Rt. 188 and Pontius Road.

“Dogs have become so endeared to people, we needed a safe place for them,” McDowell said. “I
felt it was a contribution to a community that had given so much to me. It was my way of paying
back.”

Starkey-Hill, a retired Ohio Department of Youth Services employee who led the dog-park
committee, made it a personal mission, working with others to raise money for fencing, landscaping,
concrete work and pet-waste stations.

The obligatory fire hydrants are on order, and pet play stations are being explored.

“I had to carry on my dad’s work,” Starkey-Hill said with a tremble of emotion.

Ralph Starkey was a guiding force behind the creation and opening of Mary Virginia Crites Hannan
Park about five years ago. He would work at the park eight hours a day, tending to this and that.
Starkey died in 2010 at age 78.

“Ralph was a good friend of mine, and he always talked about this dream of his” of including a
dog park, said Bob McCrady, who frolics in the park with his mixed-breed “pound puppy” named
Hank.

“My dog loves it. We’re here three, four times a week. All you have to say is ‘dog park,’ and
he's ready to go,” said McCrady, 72, a heating and cooling company owner who also worked on the
project.

The park, with separate areas for large and small dogs, is not busy amid the cold weather. But,
organizers expect man’s — and woman’s — best friends to pack the place come spring.